Faults, Flaws and The Drinker's Who Love Them

Posted 02/26/2008 at 08:23 AM by Derek

Tom Stevenson writes in Sotheby’s Wine Encyclopedia that he is grateful Anthony Hanson has revised his opinion in the tome Burgundy that “Great Burgundy smells of shit.” Really, was Hanson joking in the first place? Few wine drinkers make a point of sharing that their trip to the restroom reminds them of Grand Cru Echezeaux.

While ça sent la merde is not the most desirable of odors, the truth is that flaws in moderation may add complexity to a wine.

One of the first wines I ever felt confident shouting out the descriptors for—when I was still staring blankly at “wine experts” rattling off adjectives—was a syrah from the northern Rhône appellation of Côte Rôtie. Redolent of hay, sweaty saddle, leather oil, horse manure, it smelled of the soiled stalls I used to muck on my parent’s horse farm. It seems one man’s squalid sniff is another man’s sweet scent and it’s hard to tell which one is which until you’ve laid nose to glass and let your memories mingle with the muck.
 
Below are a few common faults and flaws and suggestions on how to deal with each one. Rather than go in to detail about the chemical analysis or implications for viticulture, I just want to share some basics and what to do when you come across them.

Brettanomyces (“Brett”)
Brettanomyces is a genus of yeast that can contribute a range of animalistic smells from sweaty saddle to bloody Band-Aids in red wines and, to a much lesser degree, whites. Although considered a spoilage organism, Jamie Goode has written an excellent article on “brett” and complexity—I direct you to his site for a more in depth discussion. Unless overly pungent, “brett” is generally not a reason to send the waiter back for another bottle. After all, you’ll probably get more of the same. My best advice is if the smell detracts too greatly from your enjoyment of the juice explain to the waiter or sommelier that you prefer something with a more forward, clean profile.

Oxidation
Controlled oxidation will benefit some grape varietals and styles of wine but opening an expensive bottle of wine only to have it taste like Madeira is altogether different. (Opening an expensive bottle of Madeira that tastes of Chardonnay would be a much more complicated problem.) Oxidation as a flaw is the result of accidental oxygen exposure during winemaking. Observe the color and smell, if it is an unusually dark color and the smell is green apple, sherry and nutty flavors, but otherwise lacking in other varietal characteristics, send it back.

Volatile Acidity (VA)
When we discuss “VA,” I’m not talking about the state of Virginia or the Veteran’s Administration. I mean acetic acid (the sour component of vinegar). Volatile compounds in wine are common and are where most aromas in wine derive from but volatile acidity at high levels stems from unclean winemaking and storage practices. Again, in small doses this can add complexity to a wine but it’s pretty clear when complexity becomes salad dressing. If your nose burns from the smell of vinegar, send it back! Anything in between is your judgment call.

Sulfur
I’ve heard it said that next to grapes the most important substance of winemaking is sulfur. Naturally occurring during the fermentation process, sulfur dioxide is also added during winemaking as an antioxidant and antimicrobial. Sulphur can be as polite as a struck match and as bad as the aftermath of a gastronomic epiphany. So what is the difference between “sulphurific” and disgusting? Taste the wine. Very often the taste will be intact and sulfuric elements on the nose will dissipate with aeration.

TCA (Corked Wine)
Trichloroanisol or TCA is a compound that infects corks and wineries. Thought to originate from metabolic processes within the cork tree itself, it has the unmistakable smell of moldy cardboard and is fairly easy to detect. There are other anisoles that may potentially infect wines but TCA is the most common. Where TCA occurs there is less of a debate about whether you should drink it or not. Send it back. But I have to admit that I’ve been at a table with several top sommeliers where there was a disagreement over whether the wine was corked. My advice to you is to trust your instinct. If you’re wrong, you’ll most likely know by the second bottle in which case you may have to fess up and drink both.

E-Mail | Digg this! | del.icio.us
Varietally Incorrect RSS | Comments RSS for this post